Obama pokes fun at McCain, Clinton, Biden

The Gridiron dinner is an annual Washington, D.C., institution whose lampoons date back more than a century.

It is such a testing ground for White House hopefuls that John F. Kennedy assembled a panel of Washington, D.C., wise men – and reviewed more than 1,000 jokes – when he was tapped to be the Democrats’ Gridiron speaker in 1959.

At Gridiron, Kennedy did a send up on his father’s wealth, stinginess and string pulling. He evoked a mythical conversation about the upcoming 1960 presidential race, in which Joseph Kennedy declared he would not pay for a landslide, and not one vote more than necessary. He also directed friendly fire at Lyndon Johnson’s ego.

(A grumpy, syntax-challenged Dwight Eisenhower was one of the few presidents ever to boycott the event.)

Barack Obama was front and center at the 2006 Gridiron dinner. In the shifting world of Washington, D.C., politics, Obama poked fun at himself, his future running mate, and his future opponents.

Of his status as a Senate freshman, Obama opined: “Believe me, when you’re the last guy to ask questions at every committee hearing, you have plenty of time to collect your thoughts. Especially when Joe Biden’s on the committee.”

He gazed northward to the Granite State where politics were already at play.

“Speaking of New Hampshire, a lot of speculation is that the 2008 campaign could come down to Senator McCain and Hillary Clinton,” Obama said. “The thing I don’t think people realize is how much John and Hillary have in common. They’re both very smart. Both very hardworking. And they’re both hated by Republicans.”

That was then . . .

The Illinois senator’s most wicked fun came at the expense of the adulation that the Washington, D.C., press showered on McCain at the time.

“I should say that I really do get along well with Senator McCain,” said Obama. “But as you know, not everyone in politics does. Because of his superstar status, his virtuous image, the kind of hero worship treatment he gets from all of you, some of my colleagues call John a prima donna.
“Me? I call him a role model. Think of it as affirmative action. Why should the white guys be the only ones who are overhyped?”

Obama even poked fun at himself for writing a book about his life at a tender age.

“About that book, some folks thought it was a little presumptuous to write an autobiography at the age of 33, but people seemed to like it,” said Obama. “So now I’m working on volume two — “The Senate Months: My Remarkable Journey from 99th in Seniority to 98th.”

And President Bush, who was on hand, was gently satirized, in the same phrase as Obama’s Kenyan heritage.

“I was told that this dinner is off the record . . . no taping or recording of this event, unless, of course, secretly authorized by the president,” he said. “I completely trust the president with that authority, by the way. But just out of an abundance of caution, and not implying anything, I’ve asked my staff to conduct all phone conversations in the Kenyan dialect of Luo.”